YPP Network Description

The MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP) formed out of recognition that youth are critical to the future of democracy and that the digital age is introducing technological changes that are impacting how youth develop into informed, engaged, and effective actors.

Neta Kligler-Vilenchik is a Ph.D. candidate in Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California. As a researcher in the YPP Network, Neta is investigating how youth's involvement in participatory cultures and new media promotes their civic and political engagement. Neta is currently in the writing stages of her Doctoral thesis, which examines case studies of socially-active fan groups as “alternative citizenship models” and considers their broader potential for youth civic engagement. Neta has authored two white papers for the MacArthur Foundation, several book chapters, and articles that have been published in the European Journal of Communication, in Memory Studies, and in the Journal of Transformative Works & Cultures. She holds an M.A. in Communication from the University of Southern California and from the University of Haifa, Israel, and a B.A. in Communication and Political Science from Tel Aviv University.